(Ottawa) The new federal Minister of Official Languages, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, affirms that the protection of Indigenous languages is a priority for her government, just like the promotion of French across Canada.
The New Brunswick minister also recalls that protecting the rights of Anglophones in Francophone regions is also part of her work. She takes office while the National Assembly of Quebec is studying Bill 96, which aims to update the Charter of the French language.
Mme Petitpas Taylor said on Monday that although Indigenous languages are not recognized as “official” in Canada, like English and French, she will work with other ministers to ensure they receive support and resources. so that they “will not be extinguished”, that they will be taught to future generations.
In an interview with The Canadian Press to discuss his new role in Ottawa, Mr.me Petitpas Taylor said modernizing the Official Languages Act to preserve and promote French is also a key goal for the first 100 days of the new Liberal minority government.
His predecessor, Mélanie Joly, had tabled a bill last June to revise the Official Languages Act, but the legislative text died on the order paper when Parliament was dissolved for the September 20 election.
Mme Petitpas Taylor expressed concern about the decline of French across Canada and indicated that a key part of her role is to ensure that people have the chance to speak and read this language – and not just at school.
Saving Indigenous Languages
The minister also said that she supports indigenous MPs who wish to speak their mother tongue in the House. Her remarks follow on from Nunavut MP Lori Idlout’s decision to take the oath in Inuktitut. Mme Idlout indicated in an interview that she would sometimes address the House of Commons in Inuktitut.
According to Mme Petitpas Taylor, he was “really, really important, in the context of reconciliation […] that we do the hard work that is necessary ”in this direction.
When she was Minister of Health, Mr.me Petitpas Taylor made sure that official communications on issues such as medical screening and even Canada’s Food Guide were available in Indigenous languages.
She said much progress was made in 2019 with Bill C-91, which provided funding to support Indigenous languages and introduced a commissioner for those languages. But she said she and other ministers would continue to work to “ensure that indigenous languages do not become extinct.”
Mme Petitpas Taylor was first elected Member of Parliament for Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe in 2015. After the recent election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed her Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency . In addition to being Minister of Health, she had previously been Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.
Mme Petitpas Taylor said she was ready to work with MPs from other parties to get things done. She said she was “not the minister or the most partisan person” but was ready to “throw in the gloves” if necessary.
“I try to keep my feet on the ground. I am the youngest in a family of 10 children: if I don’t keep my feet on the ground, my brothers and sisters will. ”